House of Cards
by BlackCat5
Summary: It's your basic "Girl Becomes a Newsie" story. But this isn't just any girl...


House of Cards A Newsies Fanfiction  
  
Disclaimer- No, I don't own Newsies. *sigh* I wish I did. Anyway, I'm not making any money here- hell, I don't make any money period. So please, don't sue me! I love everyone! 'Sides- If you DID sue me, you wouldn't even be able to get your legal fees out of me. I'm BROKE! However, Cat is mine. Although she isn't a Mary Sue, as her mum, I'd like to be asked before you take her out to play, okay? Sorry if the writing and the accents suck. There isn't an excuse for the writing, but accent wise- I was trying to stay true to the movie. Really. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Mush was standing on a corner, attempting to sell the last of his papes. He wasn't getting anywhere with the actual headlines, and there was barely even any ones to improve. As he opened up one in an attempt to find a new headline, he heard a loud voice. "Hey! You, newsie!" He inwardly groaned. Why was it always him that people yelled at? He was the only newsie for blocks, so it wasn't as if the person could be yelling at anyone else. He halted his train of thought as a girl ran up to him. "Are youse yelling at me?" he said with feigned surprise. "Yeah- do ya see any other newsies around? Anyways, I need to ask ya sommin." Although he had never seen this girl before, he nodded yes. What harm could it do? "Good- okay, does youse know another newsie, about seventeen? He's blonde.gots an eyepatch?" When he heard this, he instantly knew who this girl was talking about. Kid Blink, or just Blink, was one of his closest friends. "Yeah, I knows him. Whaddya want with im?" "You know Blink? Really?" The girl said excitedly. Mush thought this was odd- why was this girl so happy? "Yeah, really. But ya never answered my question." "Ise been looking for 'im for a long time. We was friends, way back. Do ya know where he lives?" "Yeah- at the Lodging House. I can take youse to see him, but I gotta finish selling me papes first." At this, the girl reached over and took half of his remaining papes.  
  
"I'll help ya then, so we's get done fasta." Mush, surprised, nodded.  
  
"Extry, Extry!" The strange girl yelled. "President involved in foreign scandal! Is war possible?" In minutes, she had sold the five papes she had took, and had sold most of Mush's as well. They worked fast, and in less than 15 minutes had sold out. Staring at the girl, Mush realized two things. 1) The girl was good looking, and 2) He didn't know her name. Deciding to deal with number 2 first, he tapped her on the shoulder as they walked. "Hey, goil. What's yer name?"  
  
After a moment's hesitation, she answered him, "Cat." "That's it? Just one name?" "Its one more dan youse." She replied sweetly. Realizing this, he quickly said "Me name's Mush. Oh, and I'se just warning ya- Blink might not be dere yet when we get back. Some of da other guys might be- ya can meet dem." At this, the girl nodded. The twosome reached the Lodging House quickly, and went in the door. There were only a few newsies home at this point, so Mush, who never brought home girls, walking in with a very attractive blonde caught everyone's attention. "Well," said a very interested Racetrack, "What 'ave we here?" "Oh, hiya Race. Dis is Cat. Cat, dis is Race, Bumlets, Snipeshooter, and Specs." He said, pointing to them.  
  
Cat nodded, and said, "Hey alla youse. If I ferget yer names, I'se sorry in advance." Grinning at them all, she couldn't help but notice how they were all openly staring. Mush also noticed this, and quickly said, "She's here to see Blink." At this, the others looked very shocked. Very rarely did Blink have girls come to visit him- he sorta went to them. Mush noticed all the raised eyebrows, but said nothing. 'Let them think what they want,' was his basic thought. "So," began Bumlets, "do you play poker, Cat? Me and Specs here are winnin alla the money Race won at the tracks today." "I think I'll pass." said Cat with a smirk. "I'se no good at cards." "So, Cat, you wanna wait upstairs for Blink? I could show ya around the place." Mush said. He definitely didn't expect her to say yes- I mean, he could NEVER pick up girls. Everyone said so. So, the look on his face was quite amusing when Cat said to him, "Sure, I'd love ta." Almost in shock, he began to lead the way up to the bunkroom, wondering just what the guys would say to him later. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Up in the bunkroom, Cat looked around. This place seemed a hell of a lot nice than the ones she usually stayed at. Turning to Mush, she asked, "Are there any goil newsies?" Surprised, Mush answered, "Well, there are a few in da Bronx.I don't tink there have ever been any here though. Why? You considering becoming a newsie?" "Well, I am good at it- I used to help me brother when we was younger. And," she added a bit sheepishly, "my last line of work wasn't entirely legal. I'd like to make money that the bulls don't wanna kill me for." Finishing with a grin, she looked a Mush. Mush was thinking. The chances of Cat being allowed to be a newsie were actually pretty good. Kloppman wouldn't care as long as she paid, and Jack probably wouldn't mind, if Cat was an okay person. "Ya know," Mush said, "I tink youse could be a newsie- if ya really wanted to." Cat started to grin. Not only was she going to see Blink, but she would finally have a real job, one that didn't entail running from the bulls all of the time. Also, this house seemed to be filled with cute boys. 'Unfortunately, knowin how protective Blink is, he won't let me get near any of em.' Brushing those thoughts aside for a moment, she started to ask Mush about being a newsie, the boys who lived here, and newsies in general. After hearing basic descriptions and the occasional funny nickname of the newsies in the lodging house, she asked Mush, "So, what about Blink? He still a good guy?", worried about the response. "Oh yeah," Mush began, "He's a great guy. One of me best friends." Relieved, Cat started to ask Mush about other newsies. After hearing about the newsies in the Bronx, she suddenly asked, "Are there any newsies in Brooklyn?" "There are a lot of newsies in Brooklyn." Mush began. "They're like the most powerful newsies in the city. Spot Conlon's they're leader- he's really tough- Manhattan and Brooklyn are close- you might be able to meet some of then today or tomorra- they're always here." "Whos always here?' Said a voice. Startled, Cat and Mush looked up- and saw the one and only Spot walking through the door to the bunkroom. "Well I never thought I'd see the day- Mush alone with a goil. Hey," he said to Cat jokingly, "how about you ditch this looser and come hang wit us Brooklyn men. You wont be disappointed." he finished with a grin. "Cat," Mush began with a long-suffering sigh, "This is Spot Conlon. The leader of the Brooklyn newsies. Careful not to pop his ego. And, Spot- she's here to see Blink. Not me." "Really? began Spot in a surprised tone. "That's not what Race said." "Well Race is wrong." "Wouldn't be the first time. Well, I'm gonna leave youse alone- Mush, don't forget- poker game tonight- in Brooklyn. Bring yer goil if you wanna." And with that, Spot left down the stairs. "Is he always so." Cat began. "Sure of himself?" Mush supplied. "Always." The two of them sat down on a bunk, with Cat leaning against Mush. Mush, realizing this, thought 'If I lean in a little closer..' And he did. In a moment, the two were making out, on the bunk. Suddenly, Mush stopped. "I can't believe I never thought I'm sorry." He said in one big breath. Cat looked at him, surprised. "What? Sorry for what?" "Sorry for kissing you- you're Blink's goil and I cant believe-" "BLINK'S GOIL!" Cat yelled, surprised. "I would NEVER in a million YEARS get involved with him. That's gross!" "But you're here to see him." Mush's words felt accusatory, and Cat felt compelled to answer him.  
  
"Yeah, because we were close friends when we were young. We was both orphans, and he helped me out for a while. That's ALL" "Oh. Sorry for jumping to conclusions then." Mush said, feeling like an idiot. "Its awright." Cat said, also feeling like an idiot. They both looked at each other, and well, resumed where they had left off. Unfortunately, kissing in a room where many people stay is never a good idea, as you tend to get walked in on. Cat and Mush barely had enough time to register the sound of footsteps on the stairs before the door was opened. By none other than Blink.  
  
"Mush? What the hell?" Blink said, surprised. He had heard several different stories from the guys downstairs about Mush going upstairs with a cute girl. This was quite out of character for Mush, so he decided to wait around for an explanation. "Well, ah, Blink, I was sellin me papes, and Cat here comes up to me and starts askin me questions about you. So we came back to wait for ya. She says she knows you from a while back." Mush finished hopelessly. "Blink? Issat you?" Cat said, staring at Blink. Staring at Cat, Blink saw the all too familiar nose, and the large crooked scar that ran down the side of her face. He knew a girl named Cat, and she had a scar like that too. But that Cat had been. "Kitty? Oh my god it is you! I hasn't seen you since you was 10!"  
  
"Well, I saw a picture of you in da Sun- for da strike- and figured that a girl has to see her brother sometime." The two of them hugged, and Cat looked ready to cry, when Mush sneezed. Really, he didn't mean to. But he couldn't help it. So the two of them looked at him- with the features so much alike, it was frightening. The three eyes staring at him were all the same shade, and it looked quite eerie. "Well," began Blink, "I'd introduce you to my little sister Mush- but I see the two of you have already met." The two attempted to smile without looking guilty. It didn't work. "Blink, I think we have to do some major catching up." Cat said without missing a beat. She had always been able to change her brother's moods with frightening skill- a talent that came in quite handy now. Mush realizing his chance, started down the stairs. 'Damn.' He thought. 'This sorta sucks.' "Well Cat? Where have you been all these years? I never realized why ya ditched me like that." Blink said. He never had figured out why the 10 year old Cat had decided to strike out on her own. He had become a newsie soon after, but often wondered where she was- if she was even still alive. 'Well, it wasn't like I was anything but a burden- and don't deny it. So I sorta went off and stole for a while. Then I got caught, and sent to the refuge. I promptly escaped, and then I got a. job." "A job? Doing what?" Blink didn't like the sound of that. "Don't be mad, but I been a prostitute since I was twelve. But I quit- realized what it was doin to me, how beat up I was- and for the last year I've been a waitress. That didn't work out too well- I kept mouthin off- so I decided to find you and see about becoming a newsie." Cat finished up. She couldn't look her brother in the eyes. She was ashamed of what she had done to herself- but if Blink didn't accept her, then she saw no alternative way to support herself. Blink was.well, shocked would work well. He never could imagine his baby sister doing that. She wasn't that much younger than him, but he had practically raised her. He knew what she was thinking, and knew that she would be a newsie and not a whore, given the chance. So finally, he looked up at her. "So, youse really wanna be a newsie, right? Then we gotta talk to Jack." At this, it was hard for Blink not to laugh at the surprised look on her face. "And one more thing- I am going to have a little discussion with Mush on how he treats my baby sister." Blink finally grinned and started to run down the stairs. Cat, happy at last, ran after him. She had finally found her family. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Meanwhile, while the siblings were talking upstairs, the other newsies were talking downstairs. Mush, Race, Spot, Specs, Bumlets and Snipes were discussing what had just happened to Mush. "So yer telling me that Blink just walked in on you kissing a goil, who happened to be his SISTER?!" Race yelled. At Mush's unhappy nod, the whole group burst into laughter.  
  
This is basically what went on the entire time Cat and Blink were talking upstairs. The boys alternated between laughing at Mush and being jealous that he had gotten some action.  
  
When Blink ran down the stairs, pursued by a considerably faster Cat, the guys instantly fell quiet. Until Cat tackled Blink and they both fell to the floor laughing. As soon as this happened, Race walked over and said to Blink, "So, is Mush here tellin the truth? You two are brother and sister?" At Cat's nod, they all cracked up again. Even Mush had to laugh a little bit. And so this is how Jack, Crutchy, Boots, and all of the other newsies found them. Cowboy instantly tried to assess the situation. Failing at that, he asked Race, "What is this?" "Well," Race began, "Mush here brought Cat back to the Lodging house- she wants to be a newsie, ya gotta talk ta her about that- and she says that she's a friend a' Blink's. So them two go up ta wait for him. They got a little bored, so when Blink goes upstairs, what does he find but his best friend and his baby sister kissing. And so we've all pretty much been laughing at Mush." At this, Jack looks interested- obviously wanting to talk to Cat about becoming a newsie- but before he can say anything, Crutchy starts to talk.  
  
"Heya Cat, I'm Crutchy. You're gonna be a newsie, huh? That's great." As he continues with the small talk, Jack interrupts. "Yeah, well, noone said she's gonna be a newsie yet. How do we know you can sell papes?" "Cause she helped me a little today- she's good at improving the truth." Mush said. The last thing he wanted to do was to have Blink or Cat mad at him, so he figured that he'd help. "Jack," Began Blink, "Ya don't gotta worry about her. She's my sister, and she'd probly make a great newsie. So give her a chance, huh?" This sentiment is echoed by Race, Crutchy, Bumlets, and, surprisingly, Spot. Seeing that she did have quite a bit of support, Jack agreed to let her stay. "Okay," he said, changing the subject, "Who's going to poker with Brooklyn?" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Well, it turns out that Mush, Blink, Cat, Race, Bumlets and Specs all want to go to Brooklyn. So that group, along with Spot and Jack, begin to walk. Blink is wishing that Cat had stayed home, however, seeing as all of the other guys are flirting with her incessantly. It isn't that he would mind his friends flirting with any girl, but Cat was his sister, and he knew that the newsies had a tendency to "Love em and Leave em". He also was not happy about what he had seen before. Yes, Mush was a great guy and all, and would never hurt a girl, but the thought of any guy touching his sister made him want to puke. And beat up the guy. But Mush was his friend.This train of thought would have gone on for a while if he hadn't felt Mush tap his shoulder and pull him to the back of the group. Wanting to talk to Mush, he turned to his friend.  
  
"Look," Mush began, "I just wanna say that I'se really sorry about that, and if you want, it'll never happen again. However, you can't let Cat hang out with a bunch of guys and not expect at least one to fall for her, so I really hope you don't mind." "Well," Blink replied, "I don't have too much of a problem with it. But if you hurt her bad, I will be very unhappy. Got it? But, if you two wanna be.whatever, go ahead." "Wow, Blink! Thanks a lot. Really." Mush said. However, Cat didn't seem too interested in sticking with one guy at the moment. Race and Spot, and occasionally Specs, were flirting with her to a fault. And the part that worried both Blink and Mush was that Cat was flirting too. Of course, both friends were worrying for different reasons, but it was the point of the matter. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The group soon reached Brooklyn, and was met by a group of Brooklyn newsies. They were understandably surprised to see a girl in the Manhattan group. This took quite a bit of explaining, and by the time the story was done, the game had started. Cat, who didn't play cards, was just sitting and watching the others play. The part of that that made Mush angry was where she was sitting. Between Race and Spot- both of whom were too friendly for his comfort. Blink wasn't pleased by this new development, but hoped that Cat could handle herself. Race and Spot played worse than usual- loosing all of their money in record time. However, the two of them and Cat took off soon after, claiming that they were going to 'Show Cat Brooklyn'. The three of them were bored, and on a bet, Cat ended up jumping in the river. It was cold, but she somehow managed to cajole the guys into coming in as well. The group was swimming, and making a lot of noise- the basic "Hey you splashed me, this is cold, I'm gonna dunk you" type of thing. The two boys managed to corner Cat against one of the dock supports. "What," began Cat, "do youse expect me to give?" Spot had said that the only way she could get out would be to trade them something. "Well," said Race with an evil grin, "howsabout you give us what you gave Mush?" Spot started to laugh- expecting for Race to get dunked or slapped- but stopped short when he heard Cat say, "Fine then." So, Cat kissed both Spot and Race that night. In a river. In Brooklyn. The two guys made a bet later, after she had gone back in to talk to Blink. The first one to get her- as an actual girlfriend- won whatever money was bet. They got some of the other Manhattan guys to join, and by the end of the night, the order was Race, Spot, Mush, to get the girl. On the walk back to Manhattan, Cat had Mush on one side, and Blink on the other. This wasn't really her choice, but she didn't mind. She talked nonstop the whole way back, with Blink and Mush. Blink wanted to know where she had gotten her impressive collection of bruises. "Well," said Cat, "I was walkin at night a week or two ago, and these two guys kinda pulled me into an alley. I kicked one of em, so he was down, but the other got me quite a bit before I got away. I think I cracked a few ribs. But its my own fault- that'll teach me to walk around New York less than sober at night." She finished with a sheepish grin. "Who," said Blink, looking angry, "are the guys that soaked ya? Did'ja know em?" "Surprisingly, no. They said their names was Morris and Oscar, I think." Cat said thoughtfully. As soon as they got back to the Lodging House, Jack said, "Cat, Snipes offered to move so you could have his bunk. It's the one under Blink- everyone figured that would be best." Cat felt guilty- she didn't want to bother anyone- but she had a feeling that Blink had had something to do with this. Mush and Race, however, both realized something else- Cat's new bunk was right next to Race's. The night passed by uneventfully. People settled down and slept. Cat stayed awake though- mainly because she was too excited. 'Ya finally got a job. A real job. Ya better not do anything ta mess it up, got that?" Cat told herself, before she too drifted off to sleep. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning Cat woke up early. Years of thriving on little sleep had made her a morning person- apparently the only one in the bunkroom. No one else was even stirring yet, she noticed with a sigh. Figuring that she just might as well get dressed and ready, before everyone got up, she walked to the washroom. As she walked out, several minutes later, she noticed that no one was even awake. As she sat on her bed, she heard footsteps on the stairs. It was Kloppman, ready to wake up the boys. "Wake up! When you wake up you have to wake up! These kids today- they sleep their lives away! You, you dreaming about selling papes?" It was all Cat could do not to laugh. The expressions on the faces of the recently-woken-up newsies was quite funny. By the time Kloppman walked out, all of the Newsies were up, if not yet fully awake. "Hey fellas, we gots work ta do!" yelled Blink, quite loudly. Everyone looked at him with a groan. They wanted to sleep, not sing. However, Specs joined in with a "Since when did you become me mudda?" "Aww quit yer bawlin!" yelled Crutchy from across the room. "Hey!" yelled the majority of the newsies, "Who ast you?" With that, everyone began to really wake up. Blink jumped down from the bed, scaring Cat even more than the singing had. "So," he began cheerfully, "Ready to be a real newsie?" Cat nodded, then said, "Alright, who are you and where is my sleepy brother?" Blink laughed, "Ya get used to it after a while- but I figured you knew that, since yer already ready." "I always wake up early." "Oh god, now we have two morning people instead of one!" yelled a voice from across the room. Realizing that her hair looked like crap, she decided to fix it. As she walked into the washroom, she realized that the hyperness was in here too. Jack threw shaving cream at Mush, who in his sleepy state barely noticed it. Cat saw Crutchy insult Blink, and Mush intervened. She thought the whole thing was a bit odd, but she wasn't going to say anything. In fact, as they all ran down the stairs, she thought it was kind of fun. The group of newsies ran through the streets, jumping and play-fighting the whole way. They finally reached the gates, and got ready to wait there for their papes. Suddenly, Race yelled, "Dear me, what is that unpleasant aroma? I fear da sewer may have backed up during da night." Grinning, he fanned himself with his hat. "No, its to foul to be the sewer!" yelled another newsie. "Right!" began Crutchy, "It must be da DaLancy bruddahs." At this everyone laughed. Cat turned to see who these guys were, and instantly wished she hadn't. "Hey, Race," she said, pulling him to the back of the crowd, "Will you get me papes for me? I'll give you da money, I'se just don't wanna go up there." "Why?" asked a confused Race. "Please?" said Cat, who looked scared, "I just don't want any trouble." "The Delanceys are the ones that hoit ya? Do ya want me ta tell Blink?" "No," began Cat, "I have to deal with this on my own." As the gates opened, she yelled to him, "See you in a minute," and flipped him a quarter. She then turned and walked up to Morris, who was watching the newsies go through the gates. "Hey," she said in the voice she used when she used to work the streets, "Wanna go for a walk?" Morris looked at the girl- he thought she seemed familiar, but couldn't place it- and followed her into an alleyway. Suddenly, the girl turned and kicked him where it hurt. Hard. He went down like a pile of bricks. "Well," she said, with an evil gleam in her eye, "Don't you remember me Morris? You know, the drunk goil who you decided to kick the crap out of? Last week?" As he nodded, she said "Well then, I have to be going- but I swear, if you bother me again, there will be a lot more damage to you. Make sure your brother gets the message." As he attempted to get up, Cat punched him in the face. "Have fun explaining how you got that shiner," she said as she walked away. Cat went back inside the gates. Her friends were sitting, looking for good headlines. "Here," said Race, handing her a stack of papers, "I bought yer papes. Do you really expect to sell alla those on yer first day?" "Thanks, and yes I do." Cat said. Turning to Race, so no one would hear her, she said "If you see Morris later, ask him how he got that shiner. So," she said, in a normal tone, "any good headlines?" "Headlines don't sell papes," Jack began, "newsies sell papes." "Okay," Cat said, "So, any good headlines?" This caused the majority of the newsies to crack up, and even Jack smiled. Blink grabbed Cat's arm and pulled her away from the group. "What was that?" "What?" Cat answered, confused. "You asking Race to get yer papes, and going into an alley with Morris." "Oh. Well, Morris is one of the guys that soaked me last week. And I didn't wanna tell you because I wanna be able to take care of meself. And I asked Race to get my papes cause he was standing right there, and I wanted to hurt Morris without causing a scene. Thas all." "You SOAKED Morris?" Blink said, "Really? Alright, don't worry, I'm not gonna embarrass you. But can you do me a favor? Sell near someone today? Someone like Mush?" "Why? I can sell just fine-" Cat begins. "On yer own, I know. But just for today. Knowing you, you'll be done by lunch, so just spend a little time with him. Oh, and I don't like this thing with Spot and Race. They have a reputation, and I don't want you getting hurt." "Relax Blink." Cat began, "I can take care of meself. The two walked back to the group, and both could hear Race yell, "Hey Morris! Where'd ya get da shiner?" Everyone turned to look, and there was Morris, with a shiner and a bloodied nose. He glared at the newsies and walked off. Thankfully for Cat, he didn't notice her. The newsies started to laugh, and Race walked up to Cat. "Bet you you wont sell all of yer papes today." "I can sell them," she said, "and probably faster than you." "Is that a challenge?" he said with a grin. "Okay, but if I win, you hafta help me with something." "Okay then, but you have to help me sneak out tomorrow night- without Blink knowing." The two spit shook, and Cat walked up to Mush. "So, will you sell with me today?" she asked him. "Sure," he said, a bit taken aback, "Lets go then." The two walked off, and Race stared after them. He did not like this new development. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Hey Cat," Mush said as they walked, "Can I talk to you?" "Sure, as long as you don't mind if I sell while you talk." "Okay, good then. Look, I just wanna know.whats up with you and Race? And with Spot?" "What do you mean? EXTRY! Mayor involved in scandal to take residents money and not give it back!" after unloading several of her papes, she turned back to Mush. "Well? What do you mean?" "Well, you just seemed to be really friendly with them last night, and I was wondering if there was anything going on." Mush finished. "Look," Cat began, sick of having to defend herself- Blink was bad enough, "There is nothing going on with me and anyone. At all. Yes, I might be close to them, but they're nice guys, and I like talking to them. Gods, why does everyone- Extra! Accredited doctor is killing his patients- could you be next?- always assume something- thank you sir- is going on?" Mush just kind of stood there, embarrassed after the verbal assault. Cat was almost done with her papes, but she felt bad. "Mush, I'm sorry for yelling at you, I really am. Its just that Blink has been lecturing me too, and I feel like I'm ten again. And I did not enjoy being ten. Extry, extry! Dangerous fumes in Manhattan can kill you!" With the last comment, she sold the last of her papes. "Well I'se done. Hey Mush, can I skip off for a bit? I'll be back in a little while, I just wanna go for a walk." Mush nodded, attempting to unload his own papes. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Cat ran down an alley. She was supposed to meet Race at the Lodging House when she finished, and really wanted to win this bet. She also felt somewhat guilty that she had told Mush less than the truth, but he would have said something. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her until she heard the voice. "Well, what have we here boys? A little kittycat?" James, Cat's old 'employer' was standing behind her with two of his thugs. Cat weighed the odds. She could outrun them, but she had to distract them first. She could probably hold them off for a while if she needed to, but the odds were lessened by the fact that it was a three on one fight. "Hello boys," she said warily, all of her muscles tensing up, "fancy seeing you here." "Wese been looking for you," Said one of the thugs, "James said we could have some fun if we caught you, right James?" At this, James nodded, and Cat felt fear, for the first time in a long tim. She had to get away NOW.  
  
Quickly, she feinted toward them, and then quickly sped out of the alley. Realizing that she could not lead them to the Lodging house, she ran by it, and turned down another ally. Running into a building there, she quickly climbed onto its roof, knowing that she didn't have much time. She quickly jumped from this building to the roof of the Lodging House, and went in the window. Not a moment to soon, since as soon as she got inside, she could hear James yell, "Cat, you little slut! I'll find you, and when I do, you will be sorry!" As he went back inside, Cat forced herself to breathe. "Well," a voice from behind her said, "That was interesting." Turning around, Cat saw Spot sitting on one of the bunks. Glaring at him, she said "I don't get it. If Brooklyn's so great, then why the hell are ya always here?" Instead of being angry, Spot laughed. "So," he said, growing serious, "What was that about?" "Nothing." Cat could tell from the look he gave her that he expected more of an answer, so she elaborated. "The loud jerk was James- a guy I used to work fer. I left his sorry ass, and he wants me back. Him and two of his little sycophants cornered me in an alleyway, so I ran." "Why were you alone in an alleyway?" Spot asked, attempting to figure out if she wasn't telling him anything. "I was selling papes with Mush, but I finished, and I was supposed to meet Race back here when I was done. I bet him I would finish before he could. The alleyway was a shortcut. Now, why are you here?" "I'm supposed to meet Jacky at Tibby's later- something about some gang takin his territory. So I figured I'd wait here, where its nice an quiet and nothing ever happens." "Ah. Where exactly was you waiting again?" Spot started to laugh again. Stopping, he said, "Why was you selling with Mush? Ain't you experienced as a newsie?" "Yeah, but my brother thinks I cant take care of meself- which is why you won't say nothin about this later, right?" Spot nods. Suddenly there are footsteps on the stairs. "Hey," says Race as he walks into the room and does a double take, "You finished? Already? And what is Spot doing here?" "Yeah I finished. Told you I would." Cat answers, leaving Spot to answer his own question. "And I was just leaving." Spot adds on. "I will see you later," he says to Cat with a grin as he heads out the window. "So, Cat, can you do me a favor?" "Sure, what?" "Can you come to the track with me tonight?" noticing Cat's odd stare, he elaborates, "Y'see, this guy there, calls hisself Viper, and is a real jerk, owes me some money and refuses to pay up. So I figure I can just go and take it tonight. And I'se asking you because Jack and Spot are busy, Mush is too wimpy, and Blink wouldn't do it." "Well, its not like I have anything better to do.sure, why not." "Great.so, how was your morning?" Race asks. "If one more person gives me a lecture, I will hurt them severely. Just so I warned ya." Cat says with a grin. "Wanna go get lunch?" "Sure..Tibby's?" "Where else?" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As Race and Cat walked into Tibby's they realized that most of the other were already there. Grabbing seats by Blink and Mush, they sat down. "Heya Blink," Cat said cheerfully. "How was yer morning?" "Uneventful. You?" "The same." Spot, who was sitting across the table, had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Mush, turning to Cat, said, "Cat, can I talk to you? Outside?" "Sure, I guess." Cat says carefully. She shot Race a look that clearly meant 'This better not be a lecture'. The two of them walk outside, and Mush directs Cat toward a bench. "So," she says cheerfully, "what did ya wanna talk about?" "You and Race." Mush says, with a very unhappy look on his face. "For the millionth time, there is nothing between me and Race! Why does everyone keep saying that?" Cat answers, very pissed. "Well, its hard not to be suspicious when you say 'I'm going for a walk' and show up a lot later, with HIM!" "First of all, I did go for a walk. I ran into some old 'friends' and got chased through an alley. I climbed through the bunkroom window and ran into Spot. He'll even tell ya this. And I made a bet with Race that I could sell out of papers faster than he could, and we met back at the Lodging house when we was done. Ya happy now?" she yells before storming back into Tibby's. Everyone inside heard the majority of the argument, and everyone pretends not to have heard it. Blink looks at Cat and just gives her a hug. Its obvious that she's really upset, and Race feels like its his fault. Saying "Excuse me" to Blink, who he has to walk by, he walks out of Tibby's. Cat, Blink, and Spot all realize where this is headed, and Cat and Blink go outside quickly. They walk out, and hear arguing in an alley. "I'll take Mush, you got Race," Blink says to Cat. She nods, and they both walk into the alley. They stay back, and both know better than to interfere in the shouting match. However, once the first punch is thrown, they'll be ready. "Was you dropped on yer head as a kid?" Race yelled angrily. "Why do you have such a problem with Cat and me hanging out?" "Oh, don't give me that crap, Race." Mush yelled back. "I think we both knows what you was really doing." "Are you THAT pigheaded? Haven't ya heard a word I said? NOTHING HAPPENED!" Race yelled back louder. "Umm, guys? Ya might wanna be a little quieter? Just so, ya know, ya can still yell headlines tomorra?" Cat said loudly, giving Blink a look. They have to separate the two newsies, before someone does something they might regret. Blink drags Mush, and Cat drags Race, to two separate ends of the alley. Cat and Blink both realized that Mush and Race were not going to calm down as long as they are in sight of each other, so Blink begins to force Mush back to the Lodging House. Cat attempts to hold Race back, and manages to. Once Mush and Blink are out of sight, Cat asks Race, "An just what the hell do you think youse was doin?" Race apologizes, and the two decide to go back inside. As soon as they enter Tibby's, everyone is silent, except for Jack and Spot, who are arguing loudly. Spot storms out as Cat and Race walk in. As soon as he sees them, Jack calls Race and Cat over. "Where's Blink and Mush?" "They went back to da lodgin house," Cat answers. "And what did you say to Spot?" Jack groaned, "He doesn't wanna help us. Look, Cat, I need a favor. Can you.I dunno, talk to him? Try to get him to agree with me, or at least give me a chance? He'd probably listen to ya.Ya could maybe flirt a little? Please?" Cat made a face, but nodded anyway. "But just, ah.warn Blink, so he don't get mad, ok?" With this, she walks out of Tibby's. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Spot was walking back to Brooklyn. Quickly. He was sick of Jack always assuming that Brooklyn would be there to help him out of his own messes. "Spot! Slow down!" yelled a voice from behind him. Spot turned, really not in the mood to put up with anyone at the moment. Once he realized it was Cat, however, his mood lightened considerably. "Heya Cat. Jacky-boy send ya to follow me?" "If he had sent me to follow you, I wouldn't have tried so hard to catch up." Cat said with a grin. "So, what happened in there?" "Look, I'll explain things to ya- but not standin out here. Can we go to the Lodgin house?" "If you check to make sure Blink and Mush ain't there first," Cat replies seriously. "What happened with youse guys anyway? I sorta left in a hurry." Spot trails off. "Hey, ain't those the guys who were chasing you before?" "Where?" yells Cat. Following Spots finger, she looks at the man she hates most in the world. "Shit. Spot, you up for a run?" "To the lodging house!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Once the two reached the lodging house, they checked to make sure that they hadn't been followed. Following that, they checked to make sure the place was empty. It was, so they headed up to the bunkroom to talk. "Okay Spot," Cat began, "what is going on?" Spot began to explain the situation- a gang of newsies was moving in on Manhattan, trying to take over. Jack wanted help, but "Brooklyn has its own problems! We cant come and help here whenever he wants us to. I have to protect my own people first." "Did Cowboy say that? Or did you just assume it?" "Well..sorta both. But enough about that. What happened in that alley?" "Well, Mush and Race yelled at each other, and then me and Blink sorta dragged them apart before someone did something stupid. And I feel like its my fault that people are fighting, and maybe I should have never come here. Now, back to you- why cant you just listen to what Cowboy has to say? Without interrupting? And THEN you can disagree if you still wanna." Cat looked at Spot hopefully. This really needed to work out.. "Fine," began Spot, "I'll listen to him. But what do I get out of it?" "Well," said Cat, "what do you want to get out of it?" Spot thought for a moment. He figured that asking her out now just to win the bet would not be a good idea, with the way Mush was acting. However, he wanted to one-up Race pretty badly, so he figured that asking for something would be good. "Well." he began, "We don't have any goil newsies in Brooklyn. Sometimes it gets pretty lonely." "And lemme guess: you want some company if you talk to Jack?" Cat said, with a glare. Being a newsie was a lot more like being a whore than she thought. "Umm, yes, that's the general idea." "Fine." Cat said, barely believing herself. 'Why am I doing this?' she asked herself 'Because you wanna help out yer friends' was the answer she gave. Spot was a bit surprised that she had agreed. 'She's either really stupid, really wants to help the newsies, or is really into me.' Spot thought. "Cat? Are you serious?" "Look. I want to be a newsie in Manhattan. I don't want the guys to have any trouble with that other group. If this is what it takes to have that, this is what it takes." Cat said, already dreading explaining this to Blink. Spot could tell that there was nothing she wanted less than to do anything with him, and in all honesty, he was a pretty good guy. "Cat, nevermind the whole company thing. I'll talk to Jack later." Spot said, realizing that he had overreacted to Jack's proposal earlier. "Oh my gosh!" Cat yelled, jumping up and hugging Spot. "Thank you so much!" They heard a lot of footsteps on the stairs, and turned to see who was there. The majority of the newsies were back, having finished selling their papes. Cat elbowed Spot until he began to walk toward Jack. Giving Jack a thumbs-up, she walked over to Race. "So, anything new?" she said with a smile. She was in a much better mood now. Race, however, did not look so happy. "Have you seen Blink or Mush?" he asked, worriedly. "No one's seen them since they left Tibby's- and they obviously aren't here." "Do they have anywhere else they could have gone?" when Race shook his head no, she spoke again. "Maybe we should go and look for them. You wanna?" She started to walk out, not giving him much of a choice. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Cat and Race ran through Manhattan, looking for their friends. It had started to rain heavily, and they did not want Blink and Mush to be outside in this weather. Finally, as they ran past an alley, Race grabbed Cat's arm. "Turn around. I thought I saw someone back there." They ran into the alley not knowing what to expect. They saw Blink and Mush, fighting with eight boys, all of whom seemed to be tough as nails. Blink and Mush were good, but the numbers were not in their favor. Seeing this, Cat and Race ran into the fight, hoping to help their friends. All of the other boys, as well as Blink and Mush, were quite surprised to see two more people jump into the fight- one of whom was a girl. "Fancy meeting you two here," Cat said as she punched a guy in the face. "Where WERE you?!" No one answered her- they were all too busy fighting. Within minutes of Race and Cat joining, the others were running away. "You just wait!" one of them called. "We're taking Manhattan! You'll be sorry!" "What happened to youse?" Race asked. "How'd you end up like dat?" "We was walking, and we turned, and we met up with them- they're the psycos that wanna take over Manhattan," Blink finished off. "But I think we should get home, its really wet- Mush? You okay?" Mush was curled up into a ball, and there was some blood visible on him. "I think one of em had a blade, Blink. This hurts." He was beginning to become incoherent. Worried, Cat, Blink, and Race looked him over. Cat, who had dealt with this type of thing when she worked, said, "We need to get him home. Now." After hearing this, Blink picked Mush up and started to carry him back to the Lodging House. Cat ran ahead, to see if anyone at the house knew more about knife wounds than her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


End file.
